Flagler County government is attempting to convince cities and the public to support an increase in the sales tax using false information, deceptive reasoning and cowardly politics. Local governments have legitimate needs for more revenue, but fooling the electorate isn’t the way to do it.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Army Corps Issues Permit Notice for New, 828-ft Flagler Beach Pier, Detailing Construction and Seeking Public Input
In what one of the designers of Flagler Beach’s new pier described as “a big milestone in the federal regulatory process,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued notice that it is reviewing the permit application for the new pier, and soliciting public comment about detailed construction plans that had not been disclosed until now.
16 Year Old Palm Coast Boy Faces Felony Charges in Stabbing of Two 13 Year Olds in the Woodlands
Brandon Gray Jr., a 16-year-old resident of Fort Caroline Lane in Palm Coast, faces three juvenile felony charges following the July 30 stabbing with a pocketknife of two boys, both 13, along a trail linking Blairsville Drive in the Woodlands to Palm Coast Parkway. Cell phone video of the stabbing circulated on social media and helped detectives’ investigation.
Flagler Beach’s Margaritaville Hotel Begins 18-Month Construction in September
Some 80 people turned up, including most of the city commission and its new manager, Dale Martin, to hear the developer and contractor of the coming Margaritaville Hotel describe how construction will mesh with downtown over the next 18 months.
At Budget Hearing, School Board’s Sally Hunt Reveals Alarming Ignorance of Tax Structure and State Funding
As she revealed at a budget meeting Tuesday evening, just before voting on what she did not know, Sally Hunt does not know how the school district’s budget is funded by a state formula. She does not know how the millage, or property tax, is set. She does not know whether to cheer or jeer lower school property taxes, even coming off a budget briefing on July 24, when she voted to approve advertising the budget.
Without Evidence of Wrongdoing, Palm Coast Council Orders Expensive, Unprecedented Forensic Audit
The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday evening agreed to an unprecedented and very expensive forensic audit of city finances, the sort of audit usually predicated on suspicions of wrongdoing, despite a lack of evidence of any wrongdoing and routine, annual audits and a finance department that just as routinely wins annual awards for transparency. The council was responding to public demands driven more by ideology and general dissatisfaction than facts.
Next Flagler School Superintendent’s Salary May Be As High as $200,000, a 48% Jump in Last 3 Years
Barely three years ago, the Flagler County School Board hired Cathy Mittelstadt as its superintendent on a base salary of $135,000. The next superintendent may earn as much as $200,000. Flagler School Board member Sally Hunt wanted to go as high as $215,000, though the average salary in Florida is $174,000, and Flagler County is among the state’s smaller districts.
Without Authority, a County Commissioner Asks Flagler Beach to Table Sales Tax Increase Discussion
The Flagler Beach City Commission pulled from consideration for now a county proposal to raise the local sales tax, after Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan requested that the item be tabled–even though he had not secured the County Commission’s authority to do that. It was the latest example of factual, political and procedural messiness surrounding the county’s sales tax proposal.
50-Year-Old Palm Coast Cyclist Is Killed in Crash While Crossing State Road 100 in Bunnell
A 50-year-old Palm Coast man on a bicycle lost his life Monday night in a collision with a car driven by a 77-year-old woman on State Road 100 just west of Commerce Parkway in Bunnell.
Two-Term Flagler County Commissioner Charlie Ericksen, a Stalwart of Civility and Grit, Dies at 80
Charlie Ericksen, who served two terms as Flagler County Commissioner–two terms characterized by an immersive interest in all things Flagler, unfailing civility and understated wit–died today in Celebration, where he’d recently moved in declining health, to be closer to family.